Copy 1 


WORKERS’ EDUCATION PAMPHLET SERIES—No. 


HOW TO RUN A UNION 
MEETING 

By PAUL BLANSHARD 
Secretary, Rochester Labor College 



Abraham Lincoln studied by firelight 


¥ 


Workers Education Bureau of America 

476 West 24th Street 
New York Ciry 

PRICE TEN CENTS 


■ Mio^raph 





LIST OF PUBLICATIONS 


The Workers’ Bookshelf 

A series of modern, constructive books on Labor, Science, 
and Literature for Men and Women of the Labor Movement, 
published in co-operation with the Doran Co. 

Volume 1. 

Joining in Public Discussion by Alfred Dwight Sheffield. 
Volume 2. Price, 50c. 

Control of Wages by Walton Hamilton and Stacy May. 

Price, 50c. 

Complete list of forthcoming Volumes with descriptive folder 
can be obtained on request. 


Worker s* Education Bureau Series 

A series of annual publications, manuals, and special texts. 
1921 Series. 


1 . 

2 . 

3 . 


Workers Education in the United States. 


Report of Proceedings, First National Conference on Work¬ 
ers’ Education. Price, 50c. 

A Short History of the American I^abor Movement. 


By Mary Beard. 
1922 Series. 


Price, 65c. 


Workers Education in the United States. 


Report of Proceedings, Second National Conference on 
Workers’ Education. Price, 50c. 

Workers* Education Pamphlet Series 

A series of simple descriptive educational pamphlets, outlines, 
and syllabuses. 


1 . 

2 . 

3. 


Hoiv to Organize Workers' Study Classes. 

By Broadus Mitchell. Price, 10c. 

An Outline of the American Labor Movement. 

A Syllabus for Study Classes. p 

By Leo Wolman. rnce > 1UC * 

How to Run a Union Meeting. 

By Paul Blanshard. Price, 10c. 

Copyright 1923 

Workers Education Bureau of America 

2 

©C1A752236 

JUN 15 1923 


•VlC / 




FOREWORD 

The Trade Union meeting is a vast schoolroom; ex¬ 
perience is its great teacher. In the conduct of a union 
meeting; in the arguments on resolutions; in the decisions 
on trade union policy, and on public questions, there is 
valuable educational experience for those who take part. 
We learn by doing whether it be running a lathe, driving 
an automobile or running a union meeting. 

Many good union members hesitate to take a more 
active part in the union’s affairs because they don’t fully 
understand the principles. They decline positions of 
official responsibility because they don’t feel qualified to 
conduct a meeting. They know how smoothly business 
can be transacted with a competent chairman, and how 
Slow and confusing it may become with an inefficient 
chairman. Much valuable time is lost and unnecessary 
friction arises because the simple parliamentary procedure 
is not known. Yet parliamentary law necessary to con¬ 
duct a meeting is not difficult; and can be explained very 
simply. 

In response to the request for such a simple explana¬ 
tion this pamphlet has been prepared for trade unionists. 
The rules in this pamphlet are based in nearly every in¬ 
stance upon Robert’s Rules of Order which is the stand¬ 
ard on parliamentary procedure used by the great 
majority of trade unions in this country. If you wish to 
go into this subject more thoroughly it may be well to 
buy a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order. The object of 

3 


this pamphlet has been to simplify the procedure of an 
ordinary union meeting by omitting some of the more 
complex and unnecessary features of parliamentary law. 

In addition to mastering the contents of this pamphlet 
it is well to point out that the union member who plans 
out in his mind the speech he is to make on the floor, is 
going to be the most effective in argument. Think before 
you speak is good advice. It may be helpful in planning 
your speech to list your points. Number them 1, 2 and 3. 
It will become unnecessary after a time. Trade Unionists 
will find “Joining in Public Discussion” by Prof. Shef¬ 
field of great assistance. This book can be obtained 
directly from the Workers Education Bureau. 

The Workers Education Bureau of America was organ¬ 
ized in the Spring of 1921 to unify the separate experi¬ 
ments in American workers’ education and to give them 
the strength that comes from a consciousness of co-opera¬ 
tive effort. A good deal of sharing of views has been 
possible through this agency. The Bureau will gladly 
supply information whenever asked. 


4 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


FOREWORD. 

1. HOW TO START THE MEETING. 

2. THE ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

3. READING AND CORRECTING THE MINUTES. 

4. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS. 

5. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS. 

6. HOW TO MAKE A MOTION. 

7. HOW THE CHAIRMAN SHOULD RECEIVE MOTION. 

8. WHAT THE CHAIRMAN CANNOT DO. 

9. DEFEATING A MOTION. 

10. DISCUSSING A MOTION. 

11. THE PREVIOUS QUESTION. 

12. MAKING A POINT OF ORDER. 

13. RESCINDING A MOTION. 

14. AMENDING A MOTION. 

15. SENDING A MOTION TO A COMMITTEE. 

16. WITHDRAWING AND CHANGING A MOTION. 

17. REPEATING A MOTION. 

18. ELECTIONS. 

19. ADJOURNMENT. 

20. HOW TO WRITE THE MINUTES. 


HINTS FOR THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY. 


5 




























1. How to Start the Meeting 

To start the meeting the chairman should rise and say: 
The meeting is called to order. The secretary will read 
the minutes of the last meeting. 

If there is no chairman present, the meeting should be 
called to order by the vice chairman. If neither of these 
officers is present the secretary, treasurer or some leading 
member should take the chair and say: 

Nominations are now open for a temporary chairman 
for this meeting. 

Brother Adams—I nominate Brother Kennedy. 

Brother Baker—I nominate Brother Stein. 

Brother Stein—I decline. 

The Chairman—Are there other nominations? (After a 
pause) I hear none. Unless there is objection I will 
declare Brother Kennedy temporary chairman. Hear¬ 
ing no objection it is so ordered. Brother Kennedy, 
will you please take the chair. (The temporary 
chairman of a meeting must give the chair to the 
regular chairman when he arrives.) 

2. The Order of Business 

The chairman should have on his desk a list called “The 
Order of Business,” telling what reports and motions 
come first. Many unions have their own order of business 
as part of their laws. If your Union has no special order 
of business, then use the following: 

7 


Meeting called to order. 

Minutes of last meeting. 

Reports of regular committees and officers. 

(In many unions these include reports by shops, districts, 
and business agents. There should be a regular 
order for these reports.) 

Reports of Special Committees. 

Unfinished business. 

New Business. 

Good and Welfare. 

(Under Good and Welfare come miscellaneous speeches, 
organizer’s talks, etc. The chair has the right to put 
a time limit on such speeches unless there is objec¬ 
tion.) 

3. Reading and Correcting the Minutes 

The secretary should read the minutes without inter¬ 
ruption. If there are any corrections to be made, they 
should be made after he has finished reading. When the 
secretary has finished the chairman should say: 

Are there any corrections or additions to the minutes? 
If not they stand approved. 

(See the latter part of this pamphlet for hints con¬ 
cerning the writing of minutes.) 

4. Reports of Committees and Officers 

All the detailed business of a large union should be 
done by committees. For example, the record of any new 
workers asking admission to the union should be con¬ 
sidered first by the Membership Committee, the small 
bills of the union should be reviewed by the Finance Com¬ 
mittee. If committees are not created to do this work, 

8 


the entire time of the Union at regular meetings may be 
consumed by fussing and quarreling over non-essentials. 

All reports should be as brief as possible. If they are 
concerned with anything important, they should be 
written. 

A report should be handled as follows: 

The Chairman—Has the Finance Committee a report to 
make ? 

Brother Welsh—The Finance Committee has reviewed 
the following bills and recommends that they be paid: 

1. Bill of John Powers for $10 for repairing the roof of 
union hall. 

2. Bill of the Eagle Hardware Co., for miscellaneous 
supplies, $4.64. 

3. Bill of Park Band for music on May Day, $110. 

The Chairman—You have heard the report of the Finance 
Committee. What is your pleasure? (Or—What 

action do you wish to take on this report?) 

Brother Cohen—I move that the report be accepted. 

The Chairman—Is the motion seconded? 

Brother Barnes—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion is made and seconded that 
the report of the Finance Committee be accepted. Is 
there any discussion? 

Brother Zink—I have no objection to the first two bills 
reported by the committee but I want to protest 
against the payment of $110 to the Park Band. 
(Brother Zink then explains why he objects to the 
payment of this money.) I make an amendment to 
the motion that we accept the report of the Finance 
Committee with the exception of the Park Band Bill. 
Brother Carr—I second the amendment. 

9 


The Chairman—The amendment is made and seconded 
that the Report of the Finance Committee be ac¬ 
cepted with the exception of the Park Band Bill. Is 
there any discussion? If not, I will put the amend¬ 
ment. All those in favor of the amendment will say 
Aye. Opposed, No. The amendment is carried. Do 
you wish to take any further action on this report? 
Brother Welsh—Since the union has refused to pay the 
Park Band Bill of $110, I move that the treasurer be 
authorized to settle the bill, if possible, for $75. 
Brother Jones—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion is made and seconded that 
the treasurer be authorized to settle the Park Band 
bill for $75. Is there any discussion? (Discussion 
follows.) All those in favor of the motion will say 
Aye. Opposed, No. The motion is carried. Has the 
Membership Committee a report to make, etc. ? 

If the report of a committee is not likely to have any 
opposition, it is not necessary to have a formal motion for 
its adoption. The chairman can receive it in the follow¬ 
ing manner: 

You have heard the report of the Finance Committee, 
Are there any objections? If not, the report is accepted. 

When the report of a committee of the union is ac¬ 
cepted, it means that every action recommended by the 
report is agreed to. 

If there are a number of recommendations in a report 
it is often best to take up the report seriatim (pronounced 
seer-i-ay-tim), that is point by point. In such a case the 
chairman acts as follows: 

The Chairman—You have heard the report of the mem¬ 
bership committee recommending ten names for mem- 
10 


bership. Unless there is objection, we will consider 
this report seriatim. The secretary will read each 
name and if there is objection, a vote will be taken 
upon that name. 

Sometimes letters and reports upon which the union 
does not wish to act are brought in. In that case the 
chairman should say: 

If there is no objection the report will be received and 
filed. 

5* Unfinished and New Business 

When a motion has been left suspended at the end of a 
meeting, it comes up at the next meeting under unfinished 
business. Such motions, however, are very unusual in 
most union meetings. 

When all reports of committees have been disposed of 
and unfinished business has been completed, the chairman 
calls for new business. 

Under this head any member is entitled to make almost 
any motion concerning the activities of the Union. 

6. How to Make a Motion 

If you wish to make a motion always rise and say: Mr. 
Chairman. 

You have no right to begin to talk until the chairman 
recognizes you by speaking your name, or nodding to you. 
The chairman should recognize the first person who rises, 
but he is not obliged to do this if he has special reasons 
for recognizing someone else. 

Make a motion in the following way: 

I move that this union sends $1000 to the striking 
miners of West Virginia. 


11 


Do not say-—I move you. 

If you wish to speak on the motion, you can begin with 
your remarks and end your speech with the motion that 
you want the union to adopt. In this case the chairman 
has the right to stop you and ask what you are talking 
about. You should reply that you have a motion to make 
and that you are presenting the reasons for making this 
motion. 

7. How the Chairman Should Receive Motion 

The chairman should always do four things when a 
motion is made: 

1. Repeat the motion. 

2. Call for a second (if the motion has not already been 
seconded.) 

3. Call for discussion (unless the motion is undebatable). 

4. Put the motion to a vote. 

For; example: 

The Chairman—The motion is made that we send $1000 to 
the striking miners of West Virginia. Is the motion 
seconded ? 

Brother Doan-—I second the motion. (It is not necessary 
to rise to second a motion. If a motion is not 
seconded, it is automatically killed.) 

The Chairman—You have heard the motion and second. 
Is there any discussion? 

(Discussion then follows after which the chairman puts 
the question to a vote as follows:) 

The Chairman—Does anyone else wish to discuss this mo¬ 
tion? If not, we will vote on the motion which is 
that this union send $1000 to the striking miners of 
12 


West Virginia. All those in favor will say Aye. Op¬ 
posed, No. The motion is carried. 

If there is any doubt as to the result of the vote the 
procedure is as follows: 

The Chairman—The vote is uncertain. All those in favor 
of the motion will rise (or hold up their hand). I 
count 25 votes in favor of the motion. Be seated. 
Now those opposed to the motion please rise. I count 
26 votes. The motion is lost. 

When a vote on a motion is uncertain, any member has 
the right to demand a division of the house. The chair¬ 
man has no right to refuse to put the motion to such a 
test. If any member believes that the chairman has given 
a wrong estimate of the vote, he should proceed as 
follows: 

Brother Senosky—Mr. Chairman, I call for a rising vote. 
The Chairman—Since this is a very important vote, I will 
appoint Brother Jay and Sister MacDonald to act as 
tellers. All those in favor of the motion will rise and 
remain standing until the tellers have finished count¬ 
ing. Now all those opposed will please rise. The 
tellers will report the vote. 

Brother Jay—The vote stands 27 for the motion and 26 
against. 

The Chairman—The motion is carried. 

8* What the Chairman Cannot Do 

A tyrannical chairman will sometimes declare a motion 
out of order simply because he is opposed to it. The 
chairman has no right to declare a motion out of order 
unless some other motion has the floor, or unless the 
motion directly contradicts some action which the union 

13 


has just taken, or unless the motion violates specifically 
some clause in the union’s constitution, by-laws or order 
of business. No matter how foolish a motion may seem 
to the chairman, he has no right to declare it out of order 
unless it violates parliamentary law. 

If a member makes a motion at the wrong time, the 
procedure is as follows: 

The Chairman—The motion is out of order. We are 
now under reports of committees and the motion has 
nothing to do with the report of the Membership 
Committee which we are discussing. You may bring 
up your motion under new business. 

9♦ Defeating a Motion 

Usually the quickest way to defeat a motion is to table 
it. The motion to lay another motion on the table re¬ 
quires only a majority vote, and since it is not debatable, 
the chairman is obliged to call for a vote as soon as some 
member has gained the floor and moved to table. 

The procedure is as follows: 

Brother Parr—I move that this union endorses the Re¬ 
publican Party at the coming election. 

Brother Michelson—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—You have heard the motion that this 
union endorse the Republican Party in the coming 
election. Is there any discussion? 

Brother Jarvis—I believe that this motion should not be 
discussed at this time. I move to lay the motion on 
the table. 

Brother Moore—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion is made to table the original 
motion. 


14 


Brother Parr—I am opposed to this motion to table— 
The Chairman—You are out of order. Please sit down. 
The motion to table is undebatable and must be put 
to a vote at once. All those in favor of tabling the 
motion to endorse the Republican Party will say Aye. 
Opposed, No. The motion is tabled. 

10. Discussing a Motion 

The following rules should be applied to the discussion 
of a motion: 

1. No member has the right to discuss a motion twice 
while some other member wants the floor. 

2. The person who makes a motion is usually given the 
last word in discussing it, if he wishes to speak twice. 

3. Speak to the point. Otherwise the chairman can call 
you to order. 

4. Do not talk to an opponent in arguing a question on 
the floor. Talk to the audience. 

If the discussion of a motion or report drags too long 
any member who wants the vote taken immediately can 
call “Question” without rising from his seat, provided no 
other member has the floor. This is only a reminder to 
the chairman that some members are impatient to get the 
discussion over with. The chairman may then say: 

The question is called for. Is there any more dis¬ 
cussion? If not, all those in favor, etc. 

11. The Previous Question 

; The chairman cannot stop discussion in this way if 
some member wishes the floor. The best way to stop 
discussion if some members want the floor is to move the 
previous question. This motion means to stop debate. It 

15 


has nothing to do with the motion previously before the 
house. It requires a two-thirds vote to pass it and it 
cannot be discussed. If it is passed, the chairman must 
immediately put to a vote the motion which is being dis¬ 
cussed. The procedure is as follows: 

The Chairman—The motion is made and seconded that 
we send a delegation to the Labor Day Celebration 
in Chicago. Is there any discussion ? 

(Discussion then follows.) 

Brother Frank—I move the previous question. (This is 
the same thing as saying—I move to close debate.) 
Brother Dewey—I second the motion and I want to speak 
in favor of closing this discussion. I— 

The Chairman—You cannot discuss this motion. The 
previous question has been moved and seconded. All 
those in favor of the previous question say Aye. Op¬ 
posed, No. The chair is in doubt. All those in favor 
of the previous question will rise. Be seated. Op¬ 
posed rise. The vote stands 29 to 9. The previous 
question is carried. I will put the main motion to a 
vote. All those in favor of the motion that we send 
a delegation to the Labor Day celebration in Chicago 
will say Aye. Opposed, No. The motion is lost. 

12. Making a Point of Order 

A point of order can be made only when the chairman 
or some member is violating a rule of parliamentary law. 
For example, if some member is not talking about the mo¬ 
tion under consideration, another member can rise and 
say—Mr. Chairman, I rise to a point of order (or—A 
point of order, Mr. Chairman). If the chairman is de¬ 
bating a motion from the chair, the member has a right 

16 


to call him to order in this way. But no member has a 
right to make a “point of order” simply because he be¬ 
lieves that another member is not telling the truth on the 
floor. The “point of order pest” is the man who is al¬ 
ways interrupting his opponents with a fake point of 
order. He should be sternly suppressed if the chairman 
wants to maintain an orderly meeting. 

The real point of order is always in order even when 
another member has the floor. For that reason it should 
be used carefully. An illustration of the right and wrong 
use of the point of order follows: 

Brother O’Brien—I am in favor of this agreement motion 
because it will mean the continuation of our agree¬ 
ment with the manufacturers for another three years. 
This will— 

Brother Carhart—Mr. Chairman, a point of order. 

The Chairman—Please state your point of order. 

Brother Carhart—This agreement will not mean the con¬ 
tinuation of the agreement for three years as Brother 
O’Brien says because the manufacturers are double 
crossing us and— 

The Chairman—Brother Carhart, you are not making a 
point of order. You are stating an opinion about 
the motion. Please sit down and give Brother 
O’Brien the floor. 

Brother O’Brien—These people who think they know 
everything ought to rent their brains to the manu¬ 
facturers. Brother Carhart is a brother-in-law of the 
lawyer who writes the agreement for the manufac¬ 
turers and— 

Brother Carhart—A point of order, Mr. Chairman. 

The Chairman—Please state your point of order. 

17 


Brother Carhart—O’Brien is not discussing the motion. 
He is dragging in personal gossip which has no place 
on the floor. 

The Chairman—Your point of order is well taken. 
Brother O’Brien, you will confine yourself to dis¬ 
cussing the motion or I will rule you off the floor. 

In rare instances when the chairman is domineering or 
when he is ignorant of parliamentary law it is necessary 
for the assembly to overrule his decision. This is done by 
appealing from the decision of the chair immediately 
after the chairman has announced a decision. The per¬ 
son who makes the appeal from the decision of the chair 
should first state his reasons for differing with the chair¬ 
man, then the chairman should state his case and call for 
a vote, putting his own side first in the vote. 

For example: 

Brother Canby—I move that this union should go on rec¬ 
ord in favor of establishing a Labor College in this 
city. 

The Chairman—The motion is out of order because this 
union already has an educational committee. 

Brother Canby—The mere fact that we have an educa¬ 
tional committee does not mean that we cannot have 
a Labor College. My motion is certainly in order. 

The Chairman—Your motion is out of order. 

Brother Canby—I appeal from the decision of the chair. 
The Chairman—Please state the reasons for your appeal. 
Brother Canby— (Presents his reasons briefly.) 

The Chairman—(Rising in his place) I will now state my 
reasons for ruling Brother Canby’s motion out of 
order, etc. I will now put the appeal to a vote. All 
those in favor of sustaining the decision of the chair 
18 


will say Aye. Opposed, No. The noes have it. The 
appeal is sustained. (A majority vote decides the 
question.) The motion of Brother Canby is recog¬ 
nized. 

The chairman does not have to leave the chair during 
an appeal and he does not have to give up the chair to 
somebody else if he loses. 

13. Rescinding a Motion 

If the members of the union realize that they have 
adopted a foolish motion or voted too hastily, the quickest 
way to undo their action is to rescind the objectionable 
motion. Any motion can be rescinded at any time by a 
two-thirds vote, but it is illegal for the union to rescind a 
contract after it has been signed or to attempt to reinstate 
an expelled officer or member by recinding the motion to 
expel. An expelled officer or member can regain his old 
place only by election. 

Any member can make the motion to rescind. Under 
some circumstances a motion can be rescinded by majority 
vote. A motion passed at one meeting can be rescinded 
at the next meeting by majority vote if the members 
have been notified at the first meeting that an attempt will 
be made at the next meeting to rescind. 

(The motion to reconsider has been omitted from this 
pamphlet since the same purpose can be accomplished by 
the motion to rescind. The motion to rescind throws the 
whole question open to discussion again.) 

14. Amending a Motion 

The most important thing to remember about making 
an amendment to a motion is that the amendment is voted 

19 


upon first. Then if the amendment does not cover the 
ground of the original motion, the main motion is voted 
on separately. 

A motion can be amended once and the amendment can 
be amended once, so that the meeting may be considering 
at one time a motion, an amendment and an amendment 
to the amendment. An amendment is made as follows: 
Brother Moore—I move that the union pay $15 a week 
strike benefit to all members now on strike. 

Brother Koren—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion has been made and seconded 
that the union shall pay $15 a week strike benefit to 
all its members now on strike. Is there any dis¬ 
cussion ? 

Brother McMahon—I wish to amend the motion to read 
$15 for men and $10 for women strikers. 

Brother Frity—I second the amendment. 

The Chairman—The amendment has been made and sec¬ 
onded that the union pay $15 to men and $10 to 
women strikers. Are you ready for the question? 
Sister Dubin—I wish to amend the amendment to read 
$12.50 for men and $12.50 for women. 

Sister Green—I second that amendment. 

The Chairman—The amendment to the amendment has 
been made and seconded that the union pay $12.50 to 
both men and women strikers. Is there any dis¬ 
cussion ? 

(Discussion here follows on the whole question, includ¬ 
ing both amendments.) 

The Chairman—We will vote first on the amendment to 
the amendment that we pay each striker $12.50. All 
20 


those in favor of this amendment will say Aye. Op¬ 
posed, No. The amendment to the amendment is lost. 
We will vote now on the amendment that the union 
pay $15 to men strikers and $10 to women. All 
those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, No. The 
amendment is carried. Is there any further new 
business ? 

(In this case the amendment covers the subject under 
discussion so it is unnecessary to vote on the original mo¬ 
tion after the amendment is carried. If the amendment 
had been lost the procedure would be as follows: 

The Chairman—The amendment is lost. We will now 
vote on the original motion that the union pay $15 
strike benefit to all members now on strike. All those 
in favor will say Aye. Opposed, No. The motion 
is lost.) 

An amendment to an amendment to an amendment is 
out of order. A substitute is the same as an amendment 
and the same rules apply to it. For example, suppose 
that after the above amendment to the amendment has 
been made the following action takes place: 

Brother Wellman—I wish to make a substitute proposal 
for the amendment and the amendment to the amend¬ 
ment. I move that the Board of Directors shall de¬ 
cide each individual appeal for strike benefits on its 
merits, with a maximum strike benefit of $17 and a 
minimum of $5. 

The Chairman—Your substitute is out of order since 
there are already two amendments on the floor. 

An amendment must not contradict a motion directly, 
that is, to say, it must not be equivalent to voting No on 

21 


the motion. But an amendment can entirely change the 
nature of the action proposed in the original motion. 

The following is an example of an amendment that is 
out of order: 

Sister Johns—I move that we equip the financial office 
with ten new chairs. 

Brother Wall—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion has been made and seconded 
that we equip the financial office with ten new chairs. 
Is there any discussion? 

Brother Reed—Mr. Chairman, I wish to amend the mo¬ 
tion to read that we leave the office furniture as it is. 
The Chairman—The amendment is out of order because 
it is the same thing as voting No on the motion. 

The following is an example of an amendment that is 
in order although it defeats the purpose of the original 
motion: 

Brother Hilden—I move that the business agents shall be 
elected at the next meeting of this local. 

Brother Robbins—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion has been made and seconded 
that we elect business agents at the next local meet¬ 
ing. Is there any discussion? 

Sister Ford—Mr. Chairman, I move to amend the motion 
to read that we give power to our manager to appoint 
business agents for a term of one year beginning the 
first of June. 

Brother Moscowitz—I second the amendment. 

The Chairman—The amendment has been made, etc. 

This amendment is in order because it proposes an al¬ 
ternative way of solving the same problem. 

22 


15. Sending A Motion to a Committee 

Many things are brought up in a union meeting which 
should be referred to the appropriate committee in order 
to save time and useless discussion. The quickest way to 
dispose of such business is for the chairman to act: 

The Chairman—If there is no objection this matter will 
be referred to the Membership Committee. Hearing 
none it is so ordered. 

If there is any objection, it is necessary to pass a motion 
referring the matter to a committee. 

16. Withdrawing and Changing a Motion 

If the mover of a motion wishes to withdraw that mo¬ 
tion, the procedure is as follows: 

Brother Dix—Mr. Chairman, I wish to withdraw the mo¬ 
tion which I made. 

The Chairman—Brother Dix wishes to withdraw his mo¬ 
tion. Is there any objection? Hearing none it is so 
ordered. 

If there is any objection to withdrawing a motion, the 
question of withdrawal must be put to a vote. 

If the mover of a motion wishes to accept a proposed 
amendment as part of his motion, he may rise and say: 
Mr. Chairman, I accept the amendment as part of my 
motion. 

If there is no objection, the motion is presented as 
amended. 

17. Repeating a Motion 

A motion which has been defeated cannot be brought 
up for discussion again at the same meeting, but it may be 
repeated at any future meeting. 

23 


18. Elections 

Most unions have rules in their constitution telling the 
members how to elect officers. Each local union should 
observe these rules carefully. 

Nominations are usually made orally. Elections should 
be by ballot if there is more than one nominee for each 
office, but each organization can adopt its own policy. 

In placing a member in nomination it is necessary to 
rise and say: 

Mr. Chairman—I nominate Brother Kahn. 

No second is required for a nomination. If nomina¬ 
tions and elections are held at the same meeting, the pro¬ 
cedure is as follows: 

The Chairman—Nominations are now open for president. 
Brother Doan—I nominate Sister Carter. 

(The secretary should write down the name of each 
nominee.) 

Brother Herman—I nominate Brother Gage. 

Brother McBride—I nominate Brother Quinn. 

The Chairman—You have heard the nominations for 
president. Are Brother Gage, Sister Carter and 
Brother Quinn willing to accept the nominations? 
Sister Carter—I decline the nomination. 

The Chairman—Sister Carter has declined the nomina¬ 
tion. Brother Gage and Brother Quinn are left in 
the field. Are there any other nominations? 

Sister Good—I move that nominations be closed. 

Brother Daggett—I second the motion. 

The Chairman—The motion has been made and seconded 
that nominations be closed. All those in favor will 
24 


say Aye. Opposed, No. The motion is carried. We 
will proceed to the election of a president. I will ap¬ 
point Brother Jaffe and Sister Wolfe as tellers. The 
tellers will please pass the ballots at this time. Each 
member should vote for one candidate. The nomi¬ 
nees are Brother Gage and Brother Quinn. 

The tellers should collect the ballots and count them, re¬ 
porting the result to the chairman who announces the 
winner. In case of a tie, the vote must be taken over 
again. The chairman has the right to break a tie vote 
and cast the deciding vote when the vote is taken orally, 
but when the voting is by ballot he should cast his ballot 
with the others. 

A majority vote is necessary to elect an officer unless 
the union has made a different rule. A majority vote is 
more than half of all the votes cast for an office. If there 
are three candidates in the field, for example, and Brother 
A has 29 votes, Brother B 24 votes and Brother C 9 votes, 
it is necessary to have a new ballot with Brother A and 
Brother B as the candidates. When 50 votes are cast 
one candidate must receive 26 or more to be elected. Only 
the two highest candidates should remain in the voting 
after the first ballot. 

Many unions, however, provide that the candidate re¬ 
ceiving the highest vote shall be elected, whether he has 
a majority or not. 

19. Adjournment 

The motion to adjourn can be made at almost any time 
that a member gets the floor. It is not debatable, so it 
must be put to a vote at once. 

25 


20. How to Write the Minutes 

The recording secretary of every labor meeting should 
take down the minutes of that meeting. The minutes in¬ 
clude all the motions passed at such a meeting and all the 
reports submitted. 

The minutes should be brief and exact in wording so 
that there cannot be misunderstanding. They should 
never express the personal opinion of the secretary or any 
other official: they should be an impartial record of the 
action taken at a meeting. 

It is best for the secretary to make a rough draft of 
the minutes while business is going on and copy the draft 
afterwards into the minute book. For this purpose ink 
should be used and the minutes signed and dated by the 
secretary. It is important to preserve minutes since they 
are accepted as the official record of the organization in 
case of legal difficulties. Do not include discussion in the 
minutes; simply record the motions and reports. 

Minutes should be recorded as follows: 

Minutes of the Meeting of October 21 st, 1922 

The meeting of Local 287 was called to order by Presi¬ 
dent Lippa. The minutes of the last meeting were read 
and approved. 

Report of the Finance Committee 
Recommended that the following bills be paid: 

J. Dodd and Co., for office file—$75.00. 

Salaries for week ending Oct. 21st—$147.00. 

Report accepted. 

Report of the Grievance Committee 

Recommended that Brother J. Spitzbergen be fined $25 
for calling Manager Jones a liar in the presence of an 

26 


employer. Amendment made that Brother Spitzbergen 
be fined $50 for this offense. Amendment lost. Original 
recommendation carried. 

Report of Membership Committee 

Recommended that the following workers be admitted 
to the organization upon payment of the initiation fee: 
Sam Robbins, Carry Weinstein and Ethel Coulter. 

Amendment made that Sam Robbins be rejected. 
Amendment to the amendment made that Sam Robbins 
be required to appear before the Membership Committee 
and explain why he acted as a scab in the Kahn-Lang 
strike. Amendment to the amendment lost. Amendment 
carried. Original recommendation carried. 

New Business 

Motion made that the local subscribe in a body to the 
Labor Clarion at the rate of 50 cents a year for each 
dues paying member. Carried. 

Motion made that our national president be censured 
for his address before the National Forum Association in 
New York. Motion lost. 

National Organizer Harry Dearborn addressed the 
meeting on the situation in the coal strike and the Buffalo 
trolley strike. He brought assurances from the national 
office that three new national organizers would be sent 
into this territory before Christmas to conduct a cam¬ 
paign among unorganized workers. 

Motion made that the national office be asked to send 
organizers here before December 1st. Carried. 

Meeting adjourned at 10 P. M. 

A motion may be stricken off the minutes by Y vote. 
In such a case, the motion is not mentioned by the secre¬ 
tary when writing his minutes, unless it had already been 

27 


recorded at a previous meeting. In this case, the secre¬ 
tary repeats the original motion in the minutes and records 
the fact that it has been ordered expunged. 

Motions Which Cannot Be Discussed 
Adjourn. 

Close Nominations. 

Lay on the Table. 

Objection to the Consideration of a Question. 

Previous Question and all motions limiting debate. 
Motions relating to Methods of Voting as, for example, a 
motion to have a ballot vote. 


Hints for the Financial Secretary 

Different unions have different methods of handling 
their money. If your union has not already told you 
how to handle the money, the following suggestions may 
be helpful. 

1. The money that is received in the form of union 
dues and assessments should be entered immediately in a 
Day Book showing the name of each member, the amount 
paid and the month or week for which it is paid. This Day 
Book should have duplicate sheets with carbon paper and 
the duplicate sheets should be sent to the office of the 
national union at least once a month. In this way the local 
and the national union have a record of every penny as it 
is taken in. 

The record of each member can be transferred later to 
a ledger or card catalogue as a permanent record. 

2. All money received should be deposited the same 
day or the next day in a bank in the name of two officials 
of the union, usually the president and financial secretary. 

28 



3. Bills should be paid by checks made in the form of 
vouchers if possible. Then there can be no possibility of 
paying bills twice. The simplest voucher is a check with 
a place on the face of it for writing what the payment is 
for. Then when the check is endorsed it is a legal receipt 
for the payment. 

Of course, all checks must be signed by both the offi¬ 
cials who control the checking account. The two officials 
who sign checks should have power to spend small amounts 
of union money for emergency purposes but all large or 
unusual expenditures should be voted on first by the 
union. 

4. Union dues should be paid by check in the same 
manner as other bills or obligations unless otherwise re¬ 
quired by your International, State Federation, District 
or Central Union. 


29 


What Is the Workers Education Bureau ? 

# - 

The Bureau is a clearing-house of information on Workers’ 
Education. It was established in April, 1921, by trade union¬ 
ists and teachers interested in the promotion of this move¬ 
ment in the United States. 

The Aims of the Bureau Are: 

To collect information relative to efforts at education on 
any part of organized labor; to cooperate and assist in every 
possible manner the educational work now carried on by the 
organized workers; and to stimulate the creation of addi¬ 
tional enterprises in labor education throughout the United 
States. 

To act as a publicity organization. 

To serve as a registration bureau for teachers in the differ¬ 
ent educational centers. 

To make a careful study of the problems of text-books and 
other class-room materials. 

To prepare syllabi and outlines for courses which could 
be recommended to the different educational centers. 

To make a careful study of the best methods of pedagogy 
for different workers’ educational enterprises. 

The Annual Membership Dues Are As Follows: 


International and National Unions. $25.00 

State Federation of Labor or Other State Labor 

Organizations . 20.00 

City Central Unions, District Councils. 10.00 

Local Unions, Cooperative Associations. 5.00 

Labor Educational Enterprises. 10.00 

Student Associations . 5.00 

Associate Members . 2.00 

Student Members (Study Classes). 1.00 


For further information inquire: 

Workers Education Bureau of America 
476 West 24th Street, New York City 
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